So I was watching this Blu-ray and I already know what to expect about the style and look of the movie. BTW this movie is a musical a reminder to those who thinks its Jack Sparrow swinging those blades :) I really enjoyed this movie version :) I'm already familiar with this movie having seen it twice on broadway (don't ask ;) ) and owning the soundtrack with Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett (check out the performance in youtube).

I can tell you now that its not Shoot 'Em Up (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=975332) in PQ. Even though both are sharp and detailed. Sweeney Todd is much more inconsistent. The PQ fluctuates from excellent to very good. Minor DNR is applied as well. The dark scenes is where we lose some of the details. This happens especially when Sweeney first met Mrs Lovett. There is also some weird "ringing" in the backgrounds. Both day and night scenes. I don't think some of these issues are noticeable in most calibrated viewing sets but they are noticeable on mine. The grainy picture (filmakers intent) is good in hiding these artifacts so it may not be problematic to some. Judging from early reviews where its mostly positive it looks like their equipment can't resolve some this PQ issues. Good for them :) Hmm what else? . . . . . oh yeah the digital airbrushing applied to Depp for every close up on most scenes!

In Resident Evil 3 from Blu-ray this was also applied to Ms. Jovovich so weird :eek:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/64a6fbac.png



On Sweeney :eek:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/33f8a3bf.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/207ba6ca.png


Total Video
Title Codec Length Movie Size Disc Size Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track Secondary Audio Track
----- ------ ------- -------------- -------------- ------- ------- ------------------ ---------------------
Sweeney Todd VC-1 1:56:22 29,153,937,408 45,585,051,868 33.40 23.83 Dolby TrueHD 5.1 3339Kbps (48kHz/16-bit) DD AC3 5.1 640Kbps


PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name: 00000.mpls
Size: 29,153,937,408 bytes
Length: 1:56:22 (h:m:s)
Total Bitrate: 33.40 Mbps
Description:

FILES:

Name Size Length Time In Time Out
---- ---- ------ ------- --------
00000.M2TS 29,153,937,408 1:56:22 0:00:00 1:56:22

VIDEO:

Codec Bitrate Description
----- ------- -----------
VC-1 Video 23828 kbps 1080p / 23.976fps

AUDIO:

Codec Language Bitrate Description
----- -------- ------- -----------
Dolby TrueHD Audio English 3339 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz
Dolby Digital Audio German 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz
Dolby Digital Audio Italian 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz

The excessive digital airbrushing is not apllied to Depp's close up all the time. With this close up its much better. Its still there but more natural looking. Still I want to see pores! :D

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/62f30ee2.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/7b8fbf18.png

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/6903e735.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/6f213c76.png

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/ec5da1bc.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/700b0afc.png

Nothing? haha

Got me excited for noting!

Xylon's nippin' at the bottle

;)

Great thread...What's it about, again?

As well as trying to boost his post count ;)

When you've posted the comparison pics could you also let me know if both the UK & USA versions have identical features and if not then which has more? (Or which has the best if one version has lots of not so great features like trailers and filmographies whereas the other version doesn't have those but has more documentaries and/or interactive stuff.) Thanks. :)

Oh what a tease! Looking forward to the shots. Keep up the great work, Xylon!

When you've posted the comparison pics could you also let me know if both the UK & USA versions have identical features and if not then which has more?

would be difficult for him to when last i checked the US release still has yet to be announced

would be difficult for him to when last i checked the US release still has yet to be announced

Oh, my bad, I thought it was out there already. So this is a comparison with the DVD then I'm guessing? I don't suppose anybody knows the specs for the US and UK versions then?

Here in London but had to pass this one up. Did pick up Pans Lab which looks much better than the US release. That £/$ excahnge rate is killing me.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/a47601f2.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/21705187.png

Was the airbrushing done on Sweeney Todd and Resident Evil 3 before releasing the film to cinema's or just for the Blu Ray - I wonder if it's to hide spots. I have the same question for The Golden Compass release...Was it softened post production before it's cinema release or did they do it just for the Blu Ray release.

If done for the cinema and retained for Blu Ray then i'm happy that i am getting the films as intended.

Was the airbrushing done on Sweeney Todd and Resident Evil 3 before releasing the film to cinema's or just for the Blu Ray - I wonder if it's to hide spots. I have the same question for The Golden Compass release...Was it softened post production before it's cinema release or did they do it just for the Blu Ray release.

If done for the cinema and retained for Blu Ray then i'm happy that i am getting the films as intended.

The Golden Compass and Pan's Labyrinth has noticeable DNR applied throughout
the movie. Just like Patton :)

RE3 and Sweeney Todd is more localized to the faces. I call it digital airbrushing. Not DNR.

(Sweeney Todd is not absent of some minor DNR.)

Wow! The DVD version is really impressive! :eek: I'll obviously still get the Blu-Ray version but for those who have only got upscaled DVD at the moment they're not missing out as much as on other films like Beowulf.

Well Sweeney looks like it has grain. Looks like I'll be fine with my HK verison. Thanks xylon.

Well Sweeney looks like it has grain. Looks like I'll be fine with my HK verison. Thanks xylon.

Not perfect but I recommend a "Buy" for this disc. People should have no regrets for purchasing this one. Did I mention the AQ is excellent? :)

The faults I found on the overall PQ is just me nitpicking ;) Except for the airbrushing. I don't want to see that on future BD releases. Its distracting.

Was the airbrushing done on Sweeney Todd and Resident Evil 3 before releasing the film to cinema's or just for the Blu Ray - I wonder if it's to hide spots. I have the same question for The Golden Compass release...Was it softened post production before it's cinema release or did they do it just for the Blu Ray release.

If done for the cinema and retained for Blu Ray then i'm happy that i am getting the films as intended.

Could be because Depp isn't so young anymore?

I noticed this on the DVD and the BD. It annoys me a ton considering that I'm a fashion photographer. The skin smoothing job is absolutely terrible and completely unprofessionally done. I am incapacitated by the fact that the final product looks like that. Oh well it's not enough to make me not love the movie.

Here in London but had to pass this one up. Did pick up Pans Lab which looks much better than the US release. That £/$ excahnge rate is killing me.

Good call. The only Pan's Labyrinth version I will recommend :)

The airbrushing is just terrible, I really want to know what they were thinking when they did this. The worst part isn't even that they did it, but that it's such a sloppy job. If they had been consistent and carefully brushed his entire face the blurring would give him a more ghostly appearance, now it just looks cheap and weird; why was his forehead spared anyway?

Guys,

I agree with the comments of Xylon. The PQ ranges from very good to excellent. It's Tier-1 material with very few artefacts. Minor halos are visible in the colorized shots. Digital airbrushing has been applied only on Todd's cheek. I expect the TO-BE-ANNOUNCED Dreamworks version to look more or less similar to the Warner release as I don't see any areas where the PQ can be dramatically improved. A moderate veneer of grain is visible throughout the presentation. The black levels on few scenes can some look very deep exposing very minimal shadow details. Most parts of the movie has terrific PQ and wonderful fine object detailing.

We estimated an AVBR of 24 Mbps which has turned out to be just 0.17 higher than the actual scanned bit rate of 23.83 Mbps. The bit rate on this BD is all over the place but mostly remains on the sweet spot.

To sum up ST is one among Warner's best looking Blu-ray till date.

The Golden Compass and Pan's Labyrinth has noticeable DNR applied throughout
the movie. Just like Patton :)

RE3 and Sweeney Todd is more localized to the faces. I call it digital airbrushing. Not DNR.

(Sweeney Todd is not absent of some minor DNR.)

When I watched RE3 on BD I was stunned at the digital airbrushing on Milla Jovovich's face. What in the world were they thinking? I kept wondering if she had been disfigured since her last picture. They used the same effect on her face in Ultraviolet but they used the effect on the entire film, not just her face.

Strange they feel they need to use in on Sweeney Todd. I can't wait until there is a US version, even with the airbrushing...

Was the airbrushing done on Sweeney Todd and Resident Evil 3 before releasing the film to cinema's or just for the Blu Ray - I wonder if it's to hide spots. I have the same question for The Golden Compass release...Was it softened post production before it's cinema release or did they do it just for the Blu Ray release.

If done for the cinema and retained for Blu Ray then i'm happy that i am getting the films as intended.

I'm in the same boat as you FoxyMulder. I never had the chance to catch Sweeney Todd in the theater, so I don't know if the air brushing was intended by Burton or just applied to the BR release.

Saw this movie on BD last week. What a completely STRANGE experience. A friend let me borrow it because otherwise I never would have watched the sucker. Hated the first 1/3 but it got better. Kind of worth watching, but I'll never see it again.

The digital airbrushing thing is something that needs a solid explanation. WTF is it?!

I'm in the same boat as you FoxyMulder. I never had the chance to catch Sweeney Todd in the theater, so I don't know if the air brushing was intended by Burton or just applied to the BR release.

I went to the theater, and it blurry, and out of focus the entire movies so I can't tell you what the deal was. It also was full of the MPAA anti piracy dots during every bright scene which was quite annoying. Many reasons why I just wait for the Blu-ray release now.

Yeah that airbrushing looks very tacky. Ugh.

On the Milla shot from RE3 it looks like it was done to cover up some semi heavy acne on her cheeks.

Why do you make all these posts? Are you trying to convince people to not buy blu-rays, because it seems like you nit-pick every single one. I don't know about everyone else, but I ALWAYS pause my movies and analyze them, hoping to find something wrong with them... give me a break! Watch the movie and shut up. There is no HD alternative, so either buy the movie because you like the movie, or don't buy the movie.

Why do you make all these posts? Are you trying to convince people to not buy blu-rays, because it seems like you nit-pick every single one. I don't know about everyone else, but I ALWAYS pause my movies and analyze them, hoping to find something wrong with them... give me a break! Watch the movie and shut up. There is no HD alternative, so either buy the movie because you like the movie, or don't buy the movie.

The point of these is to compare the HD versions to upconverted DVD and to the different countries' versions. There are the same types of posts on the HD DVD board too. I'm sure people want the best quality version whether it's the HD DVD, Blu-Ray, import or even DVD in some cases. (Well, 1 that I can think of off-hand, I'm looking at you Dracula, lol!)

Why do you make all these posts? Are you trying to convince people to not buy blu-rays, because it seems like you nit-pick every single one. I don't know about everyone else, but I ALWAYS pause my movies and analyze them, hoping to find something wrong with them... give me a break! Watch the movie and shut up. There is no HD alternative, so either buy the movie because you like the movie, or don't buy the movie.

Who is pausing the the movie to review it? :confused:

I don't know what picture your looking at but the HD version is clearly superior than the DVD version. Not to mention I recommend it a "Buy"

Your ignorance to the process is embarassing :( If you are unwilling to learn please leave my thread.

The point of these is to compare the HD versions to upconverted DVD and to the different countries' versions. There are the same types of posts on the HD DVD board too. I'm sure people want the best quality version whether it's the HD DVD, Blu-Ray, import or even DVD in some cases. (Well, 1 that I can think of off-hand, I'm looking at you Dracula, lol!)

Thank you.

I don't know about everyone else, but I ALWAYS pause my movies and analyze them, hoping to find something wrong with them... give me a break! I think you left of the /sarcasm. Why did you blow up about these informative and useful threads?:confused: ROFLMA_


Your ignorance to the process is embarassing :( If you are unwilling to learn please leave my thread.

+1 Thanks for caps, now that I know there is no DNR I don't have be anxious about a domestic version.

BTW- Xylon what is your avatar supposed to be? Is it a mech wearing a tux?

Its Briareos, one of the main Characters from the film Appleseed Ex Machina, one of the best CGI action animes on Blu (if you can overlook the banding and aliasing)

Thank you.

You're welcome. :D

Chapter 19 on ST is one among the best image I have ever seen on Blu-ray. Looked terrific. Good to see Warner upping the bits. Overall I am pleased with the transfer though the movie has no big replay value. I was criticizing NCFOM for it's stupid ending but after watching TWBB and ST I felt NCFOM was a much better movie.

I hope that they do a director's cut of NCFOM to show how Josh Brolin got killed

If you are crying about not seeing the pores on Johnny Depps face, then you are over-analyzing the movie.

Every Blu-ray/HD-DVD looks better than the upconverted DVD. Blu-Ray is the best available option for any movie out on the format. All I am saying is if you like the movie, buy the blu-ray. Why does it matter if it has EE, DNR, or anything else for that matter?

I personally would rather have the movies I like now on blu-ray rather than complain that they have "flaws" that can only be notice by someone analyzing the movie. Best case scenario for a bad transfer is they re-release it a year or two later, but the only two movies I know of that did that were Full Metal Jacket and The Fifth Element. So, if that is what you are going to wait for, good luck with that.

I'm just so tired of seeing threads about this movie has this problem with it, etc. A few people's opinions isn't going to make Warner, Universal, Paramount, or any other company run right out and perfect it.

If you are crying about not seeing the pores on Johnny Depps face, then you are over-analyzing the movie.
No. You see pores with pretty much every other title. And if you aren't then you need to double check your display.
I'm just so tired of seeing threads about this movie has this problem with it, etc.

I think your reading the wrong boards. This is the Blu-ray software area right?
Even if you aren't happy with what you get, maybe there's a version that you might like(from an import or something like that).

Every Blu-ray/HD-DVD looks better than the upconverted DVD. Blu-Ray is the best available option for any movie out on the format. All I am saying is if you like the movie, buy the blu-ray. Why does it matter if it has EE, DNR, or anything else for that matter?

No comment. :D

For the love of god aguapolo, must every thread devolve into this? I am tired of threads being waylaid. Some people are happy with transfers that have been altered to remove detail, others are not. If you really dislike reading peoples complaints don t go on the boards and please don t reply to them.

Look at the Patton thread. Basically a number of people tried arguing the various sides and both sides (for the most part) refused to drink the other sides Kool-aid which resulted in the thread getting locked temporarily.

Just to add my 2 cents: I m glad the blu-ray looks good though I ll wait for the North America release (seeing as I have no arms or legs left after buying a # of other imports) though the air brushing is annoying, though hopefully with my Puny 42" screen I won t notice it so much. Though I m curious if it was a decision by the technician or if it was contractual.

The excessive digital airbrushing is not apllied to Depp's close up all the time. With this close up its much better better. Its still there but more natural looking. Still I want to see pores! :D

Even if it wasn't the directors intent for you to see those pores? ;)


Was the airbrushing done on Sweeney Todd and Resident Evil 3 before releasing the film to cinema's or just for the Blu Ray - I wonder if it's to hide spots. I have the same question for The Golden Compass release...Was it softened post production before it's cinema release or did they do it just for the Blu Ray release.

If done for the cinema and retained for Blu Ray then i'm happy that i am getting the films as intended.

Exactly the right question to be asking.

The Golden Compass and Pan's Labyrinth has noticeable DNR applied throughout
the movie. Just like Patton :)

RE3 and Sweeney Todd is more localized to the faces. I call it digital airbrushing. Not DNR.

(Sweeney Todd is not absent of some minor DNR.)

But you didn't answer his question.

It is my understanding that the digital airbrushing on RE3 to Milla's face was done in post processing (directors intent). Is the same true with Sweeney Todd?

Why do you make all these posts? Are you trying to convince people to not buy blu-rays, because it seems like you nit-pick every single one. I don't know about everyone else, but I ALWAYS pause my movies and analyze them, hoping to find something wrong with them... give me a break! Watch the movie and shut up. There is no HD alternative, so either buy the movie because you like the movie, or don't buy the movie.

Why oh why do we even have posts like THIS anymore on this forum? This pisses me off to no end as I'm tired of seeing it on the forums as well as in everyday life. What I do in my home is my business as long as it isn't hurting anyone. Even if my house is on your block, who cares? The same goes for the forums. There are some of us who enjoy these threads immensely. I like to dissect the PQ of movies, that's one reason why I didn't buy a set from Walmart at the cheapest price in the store. It's also one reason why I read and post on a forum called..........wait for it..........AUDIO VIDEO SCIENCE! Holy ****! How many of these people are in the world? Honestly, how is this thread harming you in any way? If you don't like it, move along. There really is no point in bashing people who start or read theses of threads at all.

We all like movies, some of us even love movies, and we are all also interested in PQ and AQ. And yes, I like to know what PQ problems exist on a popular movie title I may purchase. But if I didn't, you know what I would do if I saw this thread? Move along. Just like I do when I see threads about movies I don't care for or any number of threads I have no interest in. I know there are guys in there who will not benefit from my input about a subject I care nothing about, and I have no reason or right to go in and make light of what they feel is important. Maybe you should think in a similar fashion in the future. Or don't, whatever.

BTW- Xylon what is your avatar supposed to be? Is it a mech wearing a tux?

Appleseed Ex Machina (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1006227)

It is my understanding that the digital airbrushing on RE3 to Milla's face was done in post processing (directors intent). Is the same true with Sweeney Todd?

The digital airbrushing is present on RE3 and Sweeney Todd during its theatrical runs. With Sweeney Todd I tought Depp is just wearing too much makeup :D

With Blu-ray obviously its not.

Oh yeah, RE3 was VERY obvious in the theaters. My friend asked me what the heck happened to her face :). So the airbrushing wasn't just done for the BD.

Makes sense that it was done in post production, seeing as how both Milla and Johnny are both well known for their looks and studios like to keep it that way.

The digital airbrushing is present on RE3 and Sweeney Todd during its theatrical runs. With Sweeney Todd I tought Depp is just wearing too much makeup :D

With Blu-ray obviously its not.

Thanks, that's good to know. We don't want people to go screaming about DNR on this title if its in the master.

If you are crying about not seeing the pores on Johnny Depps face, then you are over-analyzing the movie.

Every Blu-ray/HD-DVD looks better than the upconverted DVD. Blu-Ray is the best available option for any movie out on the format. All I am saying is if you like the movie, buy the blu-ray. Why does it matter if it has EE, DNR, or anything else for that matter?

I personally would rather have the movies I like now on blu-ray rather than complain that they have "flaws" that can only be notice by someone analyzing the movie. Best case scenario for a bad transfer is they re-release it a year or two later, but the only two movies I know of that did that were Full Metal Jacket and The Fifth Element. So, if that is what you are going to wait for, good luck with that.

I'm just so tired of seeing threads about this movie has this problem with it, etc. A few people's opinions isn't going to make Warner, Universal, Paramount, or any other company run right out and perfect it.

I think you're over-analyzing the analyzing, lol! The way I read it was just as a light-hearted remark about the digital airbrushing. I could be wrong but I don't think these threads are posted negatively and any critical comments about the PQ are just general observations and not serious complaints unless of course it's a bad encode.

Aforementioned a moderate veneer of grain is visible throughout the presentation. The movie was a big let down for me. Thin storyline, too many songs and no substance.

You do know it was based on a musical don't you? They did cut some stuff out (I saw a recording they made of the original stage version on TV in the 80s and again recently just to compare to the new movie) but it's basically the same. Well, actually I thought it was better than the original as I thought the original was a bit too operatic for me when I watched it again plus Angela Lansbury's accent was really weird, like a cockney New Yorker or something, lol! Which is odd since she was born in England. (Although I don't know when she moved to America, maybe it was when she was a baby.) By the way, just to let people know who don't know this isn't actually the true story of Sweeney Todd. Apart from the obvious (I don't think people spontaneously burst into song in the 18th Century, I could be wrong though, lol!) Sweeney Todd wasn't a wronged husband and father out for revenge, (I don't think he was even married or had a daughter from what I remember of the true account.) he was just an evil serial killer. His mechanical chair and Mrs Lovett using his victims to make her pies are 100% true though! :eek: Unlike the movie Sweeney Todd didn't meet Mrs Lovett in her pie shop, he actually bought her a pie shop after they met. Between when he started killing people in his barbershop and him buying Mrs Lovett the pie shop he disposed of his victims in a crypt under a nearby church that tunnels underneath his barbershop led too. (As well as the pie shop.) I won't give away the ending of the film but that's not true either. Sweeney Todd was caught and hanged at the start of the 1800s and Mrs Lovett killed herself with poison while in jail either awaiting her sentence or trial, I forgot which.

Even if you are just a casual musical fan you can't help but admire Stephen Sondheim's song and lyrics. Its genius. The song "Johanna" with everyone singing together is the best. I can't get it out of my head :o

Johanna Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIGFgOtPVBA)

I will rank it below Les Miserables as the best musical ever made. In my humble opinion of course.

Speaking of LeMiz they still can't find $300M to finance the movie? :D

Even if you are just a casual musical fan you can't help but admire Stephen Sondheim's song and lyrics. Its genius. The song "Johanna" with everyone singing together is the best. I can't get it out of my head :o

Johanna Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIGFgOtPVBA)

I will rank it below Les Miserables as the best musical ever made. In my humble opinion of course.

Speaking of LeMiz they still can't find $300M to finance the movie? :D

Actually I'm not really into musicals (I've never been to a live one I don't think, unless pantomimes count?) but I like horror and thought a horror musical would be pretty cool, lol! (I liked the Buffy episode Once More With Feeling too.) When I watched the new Sweeney Todd movie I thought that they'd improved the music but when I watched the original again I was surprised to find that the music was pretty much identical it was just that the singing was more prominent and I didn't think the singing was that great in the original, lol! By the way, another musical I liked and thought was really original was the series Cop Rock! Anyone remember that? :D

Watching that Johanna clip again reminded me that George Hearn's Sweeney Todd was a lot more sadistic than Johnny Depp's and probably more like the real Sweeney. I'd say you sympathize more with Johnny Depp's. (Even though he goes a little crazy, lol!)

So you guys say the storyline was great. I didn't think so. The songs were great though but there was much more style than substance. The movie could have been easily presented within 90 minutes.

Thanks, that's good to know. We don't want people to go screaming about DNR on this title if its in the master.

indeed. Also, I highly doubt the studio would take the time to do it just for the video release.

There is quite a bit of macroblocking going on in this picture:
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/6f213c76.png
I reduced it to grayscale to make it more apparent what is going on:
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w245/TheSerpentMage/6f213c76bw.png

Check out his forehead. It's littered with macroblocks. The entire frame is just full of digital artifacts. All the shots Xylon posted show these compression artifacts to different extents. The grain is still there, it just is obscred by the macroblocking. It peeks out in various places.

sperron,

Based on my viewing experience the above mentioned artefact appeared in couple of scenes despite the bit rates hovering between 18~25 Mbps. :confused:

I'm just so tired of seeing threads about this movie has this problem with it, etc.What are you doing on AVS then?
Go take a break and don't read these threads.
Nobody in this thread buys hidef to look good on the shelf...
Man, I saw the Dirty Harry Boxset at BestBuy today... that thing is HUGE. It'll look terrible on a shelf with your other Blu-Ray movies.

Thanks, Xylon.

Diogen.

If we here at AVS (probably some of the most critical consumers when it comes to movie PQ) aren't allowed to kick up a fuss when there are inconsistencies in the quality of movies that are released, who is? Sorry, Aguapolo17, you're seriously out of line. There's plenty of forums on the net where you can find the "it's good enough" mentality, but this place shouldn't be one of them.

Without communities like AVS, there's no one to hold the studios responsible for weak releases (crossreference the framing problem in Pirates of the Caribbean, for instance, which Disney was kind enough to rectify after a grass-roots effort to bring the issue to their attention).

Not to say that Sweeney Todd looks bad; it looks fine to my eyes. But there's a difference between saying "It's perfect" and saying "It's great, despite it's flaws". We're doing the latter here.

Ah, remembering the days when AVS was where people discussed and critiqued the software and tried to strive for the best AV quality possible, not just a simple, "It looks better than the DVD! Koombayah, my lord..."

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/0e8a35f5.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/a472e54b.png

Although like I said before the DVD version looks great, that razor is a good indication of the difference between SD and HD! :eek:

Yeah that DVD shot looks quite similar. I think because of the muted colors, that the DVD is able to come close to the look of the film. I bet in the few colorful scenes that the DVD will not be able to come close to the BD. However, I still wanna see what Paramount has to offer later on.

Based on my viewing experience the above mentioned artefact appeared in couple of scenes despite the bit rates hovering between 18~25 Mbps.

Hmm, I was gonna ask if that "macroblocking" (if that's what that artifact is actually called) might be from the compression to PNG - although PNG compression as I understand is minimal, and it's not happening in all of the films Xylon post pics for, plus considering what lgans said above, it seems to me that it very likely exists in the blu-ray itself. Anyone else know more about that?

Hmm, I was gonna ask if that "macroblocking" (if that's what that artifact is actually called) might be from the compression to PNG - although PNG compression as I understand is minimal, and it's not happening in all of the films Xylon post pics for, plus considering what lgans said above, it seems to me that it very likely exists in the blu-ray itself. Anyone else know more about that?

+1. Even I wasn't sure if it was macroblocking from the lossless pic. If this is proven to be macroblocking by watching the actual BD I can assure you it was definitely not because of the bit rates.:confused:

I adressed the problems with this transfer to Ben Wagooner from the microsoft VC-1 team and he had this to say:

Hey Ben, I was wondering if you could comment on what went wrong with the VC-1 encode of Sweeney Todd. Xylon posted a bunch of screenshots here along with the specs....

It's just absolutely littered with compression artifacts.

It's hard to say what's going on there without seeing the source. The bitrate should have been more than sufficient for the content, so I think there's a good chance we've got source issues. The posters in the original thread seem to think it's due to "digital airbrushing" which is certainly plausible on the faces at least.

I've been pretty much out of the loop on the blow-by-blow for particular titles for a while now; this is the first I've heard anything about this disc.

He suggests that it's an issue with the source used to encode this disc.

Thanks sperron. Let's hope that the source that would be used by Dreamworks is devoid of these issues.

Hmm, I was gonna ask if that "macroblocking" (if that's what that artifact is actually called) might be from the compression to PNG - although PNG compression as I understand is minimal,

PNG is lossless compression which is why he uses it.

On the HDD forums (http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=58951) someone with access to Paramount's retail site posted this:

Paramount/Dreamworks will release Sweeney Todd on Blu-ray on October 21st 2008.

Sperron,

I checked the bit rates on the scene where you had reported macroblocking and it was hovering between 19~20 Mbps.

Looks like the U.S release will be AVC encoded.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1466

Video will be presented in 1080p AVC and be accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/04d15b22.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Sweeney%20Todd/b4e48be5.png

Not the same frame but I think its close enough. I don't want to go back do it again.

Wow I think that might be the greatest DVD ever... But you can still see the grain in the blu-ray shot so you know this hasn't been filtered.

People who think there is only minimal difference between the DVD and BD should click on the below links.

http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=857
http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=857&page=2

People who think there is only minimal difference between the DVD and BD should click on the below links.

http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=857
http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=857&page=2

. . . or they could just look here :)

Are their any plans to compare the UK BD with the upcoming US BD?

Trying to decide if I should sell off my Steelbook.

coming soon, yes?

coming soon, yes?

If you mean the US BD, yes it's out next week. AVS already has a review.

thanks, bunkaroo!

From what I saw the transfers are identical as well as the soundtracks. The only difference is the US BD has the trailer and one other featurette on it that the UK release doesn't have.

My local Best Buy had this one on shelves this past Tuesday. I'm holding off until I hear some in-depth comments on a/v quality.

T.B.

My local Best Buy had this one on shelves this past Tuesday. I'm holding off until I hear some in-depth comments on a/v quality.

T.B.

Best Buy doesn't seem to care too much about putting stuff out early on Blu which is already out on DVD.

I just checked their site and all stores in my area show this as available to add to cart - it doesn't say pre-order.

I just it it says pre order but when choosing pick up it shows local store available.